Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that PODS® Enterprises Inc., a national leader in the moving and storage industry, is expanding its headquarters to the Feather Sound Corporate Center in Pinellas County. The project will create 40 jobs and $2.1 million in capital investment by 2016.

Governor Scott said, “PODS’ decision to expand in Pinellas County and create 40 jobs is great news for Florida families. PODS considered other locations like Georgia, but realized that Florida’s business climate is one of the best in the nation. Since taking office, our focus has been on job creation and turning Florida’s economy around. With the creation of more than 330,000 private-sector jobs created since December 2010 and our unemployment below the national average, at 7.1 percent, we know that our pro-growth policies are working. This is great news for Pinellas County and the state of Florida and we look forward to PODS continued growth in the Sunshine State.”

PODS has experienced tremendous growth over the past year and a larger space to accommodate the number of new associates became necessary. PODS will occupy the entire third and fourth floors of a six-story, Class A office facility by the end of the year.

“Our growth and our desire to provide a great place to work for our associates has driven our need for expansion,” said John B. Koch, President and CEO, PODS Enterprises, Inc. “Moving our corporate headquarters into the larger location in Feather Sound also allows us to expand the size of our National Sales and Service Center at our current location. We are very excited about our relocation and are happy to be staying in Pinellas County.”

Florida is the fourth largest state in the U.S. and the 21st largest economy in the world. The Sunshine State is home to over 2,600 headquarters offices and 15 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters.

“PODS has experienced tremendous growth over the last year as result of their commitment to their customers, and we are thrilled they have chosen to further expand in Pinellas County,” said Secretary of Commerce and President & CEO of Enterprise Florida Gray Swoope. “Thanks to Florida’s low corporate tax burden and no personal income tax, high-quality workforce and modern infrastructure, industry-leaders like PODS can be successful in Florida.”

PODS has hired 324 new associates this year. In addition to the expansion to Feather Sound, the existing facility at Rio Vista Drive for the National Sales and Service Center in Pinellas will be upgraded to include additional training facilities and room for additional growth.

“Industry leaders, like PODS, have found that Pinellas County is an ideal headquarters location,” said Mike Meidel, Director of Pinellas County Economic Development. “We look forward to assisting the team at PODS, as they expand their headquarters and create 40 new high-wage jobs in Pinellas.”

The project was made possible through strong partnerships between Enterprise Florida, Pinellas County, Pinellas County Economic Development and the Department of Economic Opportunity.

“The expansion of PODS Enterprises headquarters is welcome news for Clearwater families and will significantly benefit Pinellas County and all its residents,” said Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Jesse Panuccio. “Creating jobs for Florida’s families is the top priority for this administration and this announcement is another example that the pro-business policies aimed at getting Florida back to work are succeeding.”